So the job in Medford (oregon) didn't work out long term because of a really shady shop owner. In fact Medford seems pretty well stocked with shady characters roaming about. I ended up getting screwed by three different people in this town while being here less than two months. This place reminds me very much of Bakersfield, California. I enjoyed the surrounding areas as much as I could while I was here. Got in some great camping not to mention top notch trail riding. Ashland (10 miles south of medford) blew me away with it's quirky locals, hostels, environmentally conscious businesses, beer to die for (Thanks Caldera!) and an overall feel which reminded me of Moab. I got to explore some of the south west and rode to Crecent city and Jedediah Smith Redwood park via scenic twisties off 199. Rode east to Klamath Falls and the surrounding forests via 140 and 66 where I enjoyed a ton of dirt riding and great isolated camping. Finally I got to ride 70-80% dirt to Crater Lake (amazing place!), the city of Bend and finally Smith Rock State Park. All in all my month and change in southern Oregon did not go wasted.
While getting ready to hit the road once again by coincidence I ran into the GPS tracks for the OBDR (Oregon Backcountry Discovery Route). The OBDR is basically a stiched together set of tracks which takes you from the southern tip of oregon to the northern tip all via dirt. I will not be able to ride the entire route as I have my interests due east. I will however ride a good 3/4's of the trail. The loose plan I have for the next month or so is to shoot from southern oregon towards Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and eventually Colorado. My main points of interest are Glacier, Yellowstone and Great Tentons National parks as well as whatever else I can get into while back in Colorado. As you may remember from my trip I passed through Colorado in November of last year and only got to spend a week in this beautiful state before being chased out by snow. I also had no chance to see the other above mentioned states for same reason. So now it's on!
Marla got the usual love specially after turning 25,000. New front tire, fresh oil, fairing rack, Pelican 1520 detachable top case, custom low seat (Thanks to Jessie's Upholstery, Medford!) and a much needed rattle can face lift. I also got rid of even more gear (Ditched the tent and will rely on my hammock system exclusively) and picked up a few things here and there. After 10 months of doing this it's become second nature and I just keep getting better at living with less. Leaving this nomadic life style behind will be very hard.
"When all's said and done, all roads lead to the same end. So it's not so much which road you take, as how you take it"
Chain/ sprocket wear at 11,000 miles. (EK SRO5 chain, JT sprockets 15/43)
Ditched some tools and just kept the "essentials".
Marla just won't let me down, most likely because I'm a tad over prepared.
